American businessman Gary Vaynerchuk recently appeared on a podcast episode hosted by none other than Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem, even though Vaynerchuk is not a Heat fan himself.
In fact, the team he’s a diehard fan of, the New York Knicks, have been rivals of the Heat in the Eastern Conference for a long time.
Vaynerchuk’s son understood that his father was hopping on a podcast with someone who formerly played for the Knicks’ enemies, and upon hearing the news, he told Vaynerchuk to tell Haslem that “he’s a b—-.”
“When I told my son yesterday that I was coming to do this podcast with you — he’s 12 — he’s like, ‘Tell him he’s a b—-,’” Vaynerchuk said, prompting a laugh from Haslem. “… He knows you’re an all-time Miami Heat, and we have to hate you. This is how I built him.”
Vaynerchuk is a six-time New York Times bestselling author who is a versatile entrepreneur. As part of his resume, he’s the chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VeeFriends and CEO of VaynerMedia.
His son is old enough to remember the last time the Heat and Knicks crossed paths in the playoffs and might still have sour grapes regarding the end result of that series.
The Heat eliminated the Knicks in six games in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, and Miami made the NBA Finals that year as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
But Vaynerchuk and his son will probably have an easier time putting that series loss behind them if New York can advance to the 2025 NBA Finals, and the team is only two wins away from a Finals appearance.
The Knicks trail 2-3 in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers and will be playing for their playoff lives in Saturday’s Game 6.
To put into perspective just how much it would mean for some Knicks fans to see the team back in the championship series and competing for a trophy, Vaynerchuk was born in 1975, and the Knicks haven’t won an NBA title since 1973.
While the Knicks are one of three teams still kicking in these playoffs, the Heat have long been eliminated from championship contention, as they were swept in incredibly decisive fashion by the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the postseason.